1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a battery installation structure for electric vehicles, and more specifically, to a structure that prevents damages to the battery in the event of a side impact crash.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to conventional battery installation structures for electric vehicles, to prevent damages to a battery pack in the event of a collision against a vehicle, a battery case containing battery cells is fixed with bolts to a battery cross member having a closed section, and the battery cross member is also fixed with bolts to a pair of side members so that the battery pack is positioned between the side members fixed to the sides of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle's anteroposterior direction (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2008-162497).
In the battery installation structure for electric vehicles which is disclosed in the above publication, since the battery case is fixed with bolts to the battery cross member having a closed section, for example, if the vehicle is hit by another vehicle or the like in the side at high speed, the structure fails to absorb the load produced by the collision. This leads to an unfavorable condition in which the battery cross member is moved towards the center of the vehicle and damages the battery pack, or even battery cells in the battery case, and electrical safety is degraded.